Pier construction support system

ABSTRACT

A pier support system provides an arrangement for constructing a pier either onsite or offsite. Support apparatus provides four sides arranged in a square which are supported vertically from a planar pier support base. The walls are inset from the edge of the pier support base to provide a margin around the sides of the base to permit constructing an outer wall using blocks and cement adjacent to each support side. Two methods of attaching a footing base to a site are shown. The pier support base is attached to the upper side of an installed footing base by a two axis and verticality adjusting apparatus. The outer wall is constructed after the bases are connected and then the pier verticality is adjusted and a cap installed to complete the pier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a regular application filed under 35 U.S.C. §111(a) claimingpriority, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) (1), of provisional application Ser.No. 60/679,366 previously filed May 10, 2005 under 35 U.S.C. §111(b).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention teaches the construction of a pier, of the type currentlyconstructed onsite, at either an onsite or an offsite location. Theinvention includes provisions for rapid installation and later verticalalignment of the pier at a site. A supporting structure for laterconstructed walls, which form the sides of the pier, provide for rapidand simple pier construction.

2. Description of the Related Art

Currently a pier is completely constructed onsite. This is laborintensive since a support structure must be built on site for each pierconstructed. Precise vertical orientation of a pier is also currentlydifficult to achieve and maintain.

The offsite construction of a complete pier with only installation andalignment onsite, or offsite construction of a pier support frame toprovide support for the pier sidewall construction has many benefits.This not only provides a superior product but saves on expensive onsitelabor. This approach can combine artistic architecture with fastinstallation along with better quality, and better design. Either onsiteor offsite manufacture of a pier using a support structure can readilyprovide more sophisticated and more accurate construction than thosecurrently available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides offsite factory manufacture of either a completepier with later installation at a site, or offsite construction of apier support frame with onsite installation of the frame and thenconstruction of walls around the support frame. Alignment apparatus isprovided which permits adjusting the vertical orientation and locationof the pier onsite after installation. The pier can be constructed on aframe onsite because the sides and the top of the pier are planar whichpermits using mortar and blocks to construct vertical pier side wallsusing conventional brick or block laying techniques. Using theseconstruction techniques stones, bricks, cement blocks, wooden blocks, oreven decorations or a wooden panel can be secured to the walls byappropriate means.

A planar footing base of approximately the same size and shape as thepier support base is used to attach the pier to the site. The footingbase has cylindrical extensions attached to one side of the footing baseextending outward. A hole, which is reinforced by a cylindrical shapedform, is filled with fresh cement and the footing base is placed overthe top of the form with the rebars extending downward into the freshcement. When the cement has cured into concrete the footing base will befirmly attached to the site. As an alternative, a piling with ancylindrical shaped upward opening can be mated with a cylindrical shapedpiling receptacle attached to the footing base to attach the pier to thesite.

The opposite side of the footing base has a cylindrical extensionattached to the center of the base by welding. The pier support base andfooting base are connected together by angular adjustment apparatusattached to the upwardly extending footing projection. This adjustmentapparatus is arranged to permit adjusting the angle between the basesalong two axis which are at right angles to each other in the plane ofthe pier support base and essentially at right angles to the footingprojection. This same apparatus can also adjust the vertical location ofthe pier. This apparatus is arranged to permit attaching the pier to thesite with the cylindrical projection, and then adjusting the verticalorientation of the pier using the adjustment apparatus. With thisarrangement, the pier can be aligned any time later or can be removed bysimply detaching the angle adjusting apparatus from the footingprojection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become moremanifest to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the followingdescriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings andwherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the support structure proper;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the pier support base with verticallyextending vertical supports and rebars and the angular adjustingapparatus;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the pier support base with verticallyextending vertical supports and rebars and only the holes for theangular adjusting apparatus;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the pier support using a planar sidesupport showing how construction material is supported by the supportstructure side and the extending pier support base;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a corner of the upper corner of the piersupport; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the pier support base with the angularadjusting apparatus and site connection appartus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A pier 10 is shown installed at a site in FIGS. 1 and 2. Details of pier10 and angular adjustment apparatus 17 are shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

Pier support base 16 provides a base for pier 10. Pier support base 16extends outward past sides 10A and is rectangular in shape to providesupport for the four sides.

A two axis angle adjustment apparatus 17 permits changing the angularrelationship between pier support base 16 and footing base 18 about twoperpendicular axes. Freedom of motion between pier support base 16 andfooting base 18 is provided by a partial semi-hemisphere 18C. Partialsemi-hemisphere 18C has a centered hole 18D sized to admit footingprojection 18A with the planar surface of the hemisphere opposite aparallel smaller planar surface created by removing a portion of thehemisphere. Pier support base 16 has a centered hole 16A sized andshaped to slidably engage the surfaces of partial semi-hemisphere 18Cadjacent to the pier support base. Footing base 18 has a threadedcylindrical footing projection 18A welded perpendicularly to the centeron the side of the footing base facing pier support base 16. Footingprojection 18A extends from footing base 18 through hole 18D in partialsemi-hemisphere 18C and is secured by nut 18B. With this arrangementpier support base 16 can be moved with respect to footing base 18 tochange the angular relationship between the bases around twoperpendicular axes.

The angular relationship between pier support base 16 and footing base18 is adjusted by three bolts 16B which extend through mating threadedholes 16C in pier support base 16. Holes 16C are located essentially 120degrees apart and are equidistant from the center of base 16. For heavypiers more than three bolts 16B can be provided also centered on acircle equidistant from the center of base 16. Nuts 16D are welded tofooting base 18 opposite holes 16C and provide additional strength forsecuring bolts 16D to pier support base 16. Two axis angle adjustmentbetween pier support base 16 and footing base 18 is obtained by rotatingthreaded nuts 16D. If all nuts 16D are rotated the same amount in thesame direction, regardless of the number of footing projections 18A andmating nuts 16D used, pier support base 16 will be moved vertically withrespect to footing base 18 which provides an additional verticaladjustment option.

Pier 10 is secured to a site using rebars 18E which are welded tofooting base 18 on the side of the footing base opposite bolt 18D andextend outward perpendicularly. In one method of securing pier 10 to thesite, hole 20 is first prepared. Hole 20 is reinforced by a cylindricalshaped reinforcement 20A. Freshly mixed cement 20B is then used to fillreinforcement 20A. Rebars 18E of pier 10 are then inserted into hole 20until footing base 18 is positioned against reinforcement 20A. Footingbase 18 will be firmly attached to the site after cement 20B has set.

An alternate method of securing the footing base 18 to a site utilizes apiling 22A driven into the ground which has a cylindrical shaped top. Amating cylindrical shaped receptacle 22B with footing projection 18Acentered on the top of the receptacle receives the piling top whichattaches the apparatus to the site.

Pier 10 is constructed onsite around a supporting framework of supportsides 10A and a pier support base 16. Four corner supports 16E, whichhave a right angle cross-section, are attached at one end to each cornerof the pier support base 16 extending outward perpendicularly. Thecorner supports 16E are attached with their sides parallel to the edgesof pier support base 16. Four support sides 10A are attached along theirlength to the parallel outer surfaces of adjacent corner supports 16F tosecure them in place. Corner supports 16E are attached to pier supportbase 16 offset from its edge which provides a margin along sides 10Aalong all sides support for later constructed walls adjacent to eachsupport side.

Four outer walls 10G, one adjacent to each side 10A, are thenconstructed by attaching stones 10C above the margins of pier supportbase 16 and against the support sides 10A using cement 10D. Thisconstruction proceeds from pier support base 16 upward to the top ofsides 10A. After cement 10D has hardened into concrete the outer walls10G of pier 10 are complete. Alternative construction methods, describedearlier, can also be used. The essence of this construction method isthat a wall is assembled on all four sides positioned over the marginsaround pier support base 16.

Cap 10E can be assembled either onsite or offsite. Cap 10E is planar,rectangular in shape, and sized to cover the top of pier 10. Cap 10E hasa backing plate 10F and can either be separate or can be molded as partof the cap. In either case backing plate 10F is sized to fit withinsides 10A of pier 10. Placing cap 10E over sides 10A pier 10 completesconstruction of pier 10.

When pier 10 is manufactured offsite, the constructed wall 10G isconstructed offsite over the pier support base 16 and four support sides10A attached to each other as described above. The remaining operationsare completed onsite. First footing base 18 is attached to a site asdescribed above. The pier support base 16 is then attached to footingbase 18 by the angle adjustment apparatus 17, as before. The verticalityof pier 10 is then adjusted and cap 10F placed over the top of the pierto complete pier 10, as before.

Variations and alternatives to this invention includes an alternativemethod of constructing a pier offsite. This method uses rebars attachedperpendicularly to pier support base 16 to provide support forconstructed walls 10G. Sides 10A can be made of either treated wood orof metal. The important characteristic here is that sides 10A be planarto support a planar constructed wall 10G. Hole reinforcement 20A can betile, cardboard or any material that need only temporarily supportfreshly mixed cement, since after the cement has hardened noreinforcement is necessary. When a piling is used the receptacle can beon the site or on the footing base with no difference in performance.While stones 10C were used here for the constructed walls 10G, a varietyof other materials could be used. These materials can include suchmaterial as: bricks, stone blocks, decorative panels and wooden blocksattached to the sides by appropriate means. Walls 10G could even be awooden panel if desired.

An important advantage of connecting a pier to a site using the abovedescribed method, after removing the pier proper, is that the pier canbe disconnected by simply cutting through footing projection 18A leavinga planar surface. Since the pier can be adjusted vertically the footingbase can be located below the level of adjacent ground with the bottomof the pier at ground level. With this arrangement when the pier isremoved the recess can be landscaped with all evidence of a prior piersite removed. The pier can then be relocated to a different site usingthe above techniques.

It will be understood that this disclosure, in many respects, is onlyillustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters ofshape, size, material, and arrangement of parts without exceeding thescope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is asdefined in the language of the appended claims.

1. Two axis angle adjustment apparatus comprising: a) first and secondplanar plate; b) two axis inclination means for allowing the anglesbetween the first and second plates of a first and second axisperpendicular to each other in said first plate to change when the firstand second plates are spaced a predetermined distance apart; and c) twoaxis and spacing adjusting means for adjusting the first and secondangles and independently adjusting the spacing between the plates. 2.Apparatus as in claim 1 where said two axis inclination means comprisesa partial semi-hemisphere having the planar surface of the partialsemi-hemisphere opposite a smaller parallel planar surface on theopposite side, having a hole of a first predetermined size extendingbetween the centers of the planar surfaces, said first plate having anessentially centered hole of a first size and shape to slidably matewith the exterior of said partial semi-hemisphere around the axisaligned with the center of the partial semi-hemisphere.
 3. Apparatus asin claim 2 wherein said two axis and spacing adjusting means comprises:a) the first plate having at least three threaded holes of a second sizeequally spaced around a circle centered on the first hole; b) the secondplate being essentially the same size and shape as the first plate; c) afirst threaded footing projection attached to the center of one side ofsaid second plate extending outwardly therefrom, the projection beingsized to slidably mate with the centered first sized hole in the firstplate; d) at least three threaded bolts the bolts threaded and sized tomate with each of the threaded second size holes through the firstplate, the apparatus being assembled with semi-hemisphere having thefirst bolt of the second plate extending through the first hole of thefirst plate with the planar surface of the semi-hemisphere facing awayfrom the first threaded bolt head, having three mating nuts sized andthreaded to engage the three bolts threaded through the second sizeholes through the first plate, with the nuts being positioned over oneof the threaded second size holes through the first plate on the side ofthe first plate opposite the first plate and welded in position with thethree bolts threaded into the three second size holes nuts through thefirst plate and adjacent nuts, the bolts exiting on the side of thefirst plate opposite the second plate.
 4. A first site attachment methodfor structures comprising: a) providing a planar site plate with barsperpendicularly extending outwardly from one side, freshly mixed cement,a cylindrical shaped site hole and a cylinder sized to mate with thesite hole; b) placing the cylinder within the hole; c) filling thecylinder with cement; d) locating the plate directly over the hole withthe bars facing downward; and e) lowering the plate until the plateabuts the top of the cylinder.
 5. A site attachment method forstructures comprising: a) providing a planar site plate with an outwardfacing cylindrical receptacle on one side, and a piling with a matingcylinder on one end; b) driving the piling into the site with thecylinder uppermost; and c) placing the site plate receptacle over thetop of the cylinder.
 6. A method for constructing a pier onsitecomprising: a) providing a support frame formed of a rectangular andplanar pier base having four perpendicularly attached equal lengthadjoining sides positioned inwardly from the edges providing a marginaround the base periphery, construction blocks and freshly mixed cement;b) orienting the base horizontally with the sides facing upward; c)using the blocks and cement to construct a wall against the sides andover the side margins from the base to the top of the sides.
 7. A secondsite attachment method for structures comprising: a) providing a supportframe formed of a rectangular and planar pier base having fourperpendicularly attached equal length adjoining sides positionedinwardly from the edges providing a margin around the base periphery,wall material and appropriate wall securing material; b) orienting thebase horizontally with the sides facing upward; c) using the wallmaterial and the wall fastening material construct a wall against thesides and over the side margins from the base to the top of the sides.